The present invention relates to a defective capsule removing mechanism for discharging and removing, where capsules are accommodated and held in capsule pockets in a capsule filling machine for transportation, a capsule sealing machine or a capsule appearance inspection apparatus, a coupling defective capsule whose cap and body are separate from each other from a capsule pocket, and a defective capsule removing mechanism for removing, when capsules in a horizontally lying state wherein the cap side is directed in a fixed direction are accommodated in and transported by capsule pockets, a capsule in a reversely horizontally lying state wherein the cap side is directed in the reverse direction.
Conventionally, in a capsule filling machine for filling contents substance such as medicine into empty capsules, a capsule sealing machine for applying band seals to filled capsule products such as pharmaceutical capsules wherein medicine or the like is filled therein, or capsule-shaped foods or a capsule appearance inspection machine for performing an appearance inspection of empty capsules or such filled capsule products as described above, a method is adopted wherein empty capsules or filled capsule products (which are hereinafter referred to simply as xe2x80x9ccapsulesxe2x80x9d) supplied successively are accommodated into and transported in capsule pockets, and while they are transported, filling of contents substance is performed, band sealing is performed, or an appearance inspection is performed.
Further, in such machines and apparatus as described above, it is necessary to control all of capsules supplied at random in a fixed posture by posture control, transport and supply the capsules to a filling mechanism section for filling contents substance, a band sealing mechanism section for applying band seals to boundary portions between the caps and the bodies of the capsules or an inspection mechanism section for photographing the capsules using a camera to detect an appearance defect. To this end, the apparatus mentioned includes a capsule supplying apparatus which stably transports capsules from a hopper or the like to the filling mechanism section, band sealing mechanism section or inspection mechanism section and controls the direction of all of the capsules to be supplied at random to a state wherein they are directed in a fixed direction when they are transported.
For example, the capsule filling machine is constructed such that empty capsules whose caps and bodies are temporarily coupled to each other are transported usually in an erected state wherein the cap is directed upwardly, and, while the empty capsules are transported, they are separated into the caps and the bodies and contents substance is filled into the bodies, and then the caps and the bodies are coupled to each other again thereby to produce filled capsule products. Therefore, a capsule supplying section is required for stably supplying empty capsules supplied at random from a hopper or the like to the filling mechanism section while controlling the posture of each empty capsule in an erected state wherein the cap is directed upwardly.
As such a known capsule supplying section for a capsule filling machine as described above, a supplying mechanism, that is, as shown in FIG. 13, using three transporting drums of a supplying drum 1, a direction controlling drum 2 and a feeding drum 3, capsules are successively transferred and transported among the drums, and while they are transported, the capsules which are supplied at random are controlled in posture to an erected state wherein the cap is directed upwardly. In the following, the supplying mechanism is described briefly. It is to be noted that, in the present specification, the xe2x80x9cupward/downwardxe2x80x9d directions of an empty capsule held on a drum-type transporting unit are upward/downward directions where the outer periphery side of the drum is represented as upward while the center side is represented as downward, and the xe2x80x9cerected statexe2x80x9d signifies a state wherein the empty capsule is held along a diametral direction of the drum with the cap positioned on the outer periphery side of the drum and with the body directed to the center side of the drum. Further, the xe2x80x9cinverted statexe2x80x9d signifies a state wherein the empty capsule is held along a diametral direction of the drum with the body positioned on the outer periphery side of the drum and with the cap directed toward the center side of the drum, and the xe2x80x9cvertically standing statexe2x80x9d signifies a state wherein the empty capsule is held along a diametral direction of the drum irrespective of the directions of the cap and the body.
In particular, reference numeral 1 in FIG. 13 denotes a supplying drum on which a large number of supply pockets for accommodating empty capsules AB each composed of a cap A and a body B temporarily coupled to each other in a vertically standing state therein are formed in a row along a circumferential direction. The supplying drum 1 accommodates and holds empty capsules supplied at random from a hopper h in an uprightly standing state in the supply pockets 11 to transport the empty capsules and transfers the empty capsules to direction controlling pockets 21 of the direction controlling drum 2.
Each of the direction controlling pockets 21 is composed of an upper portion 211 capable of accommodating an empty capsule in a horizontally lying state, and a bottom portion 212 communicated with an end portion of the upper portion 211 and allowing only the body of a capsule to enter. The body B portion of an empty capsule AB introduced into a direction controlling pocket 21 with the body B side thereof directed forwardly enters the bottom portion 212 of the direction controlling pocket 21 until the empty capsule AB is fully accommodated into the direction controlling pocket 21 in an erected state, and the empty capsule AB is transported in this state by rotation of the direction controlling drum 2. On the other hand, an empty capsule ABxe2x80x2 introduced into a direction controlling pocket 21 with the cap A side directed forwardly cannot enter the bottom portion 212, but is accommodated once in the direction controlling pocket 21 in an inverted state wherein the body B side thereof projects from an outer circumferential face of the direction controlling drum 2. Then, as the direction controlling drum 2 rotates, the projecting body B portion of the empty capsule ABxe2x80x2 is in contact with a direction controlling guide member 22 for thereby being horizontally laid down, so that the empty capsule ABxe2x80x2 is accommodated in the upper portion 211 of the direction controlling pocket 21 in a horizontally lying state wherein the cap A is directed in the direction of rotation of the direction controlling drum 2, and the empty capsule ABxe2x80x2 is transported in this state. Then, such empty capsules AB in an erected state and the empty capsules ABxe2x80x2 in a horizontally lying state are transferred to feeding pockets 31 of the feeding drum 3.
The feeding pockets 31 of the feeding drum 3 are adapted to accommodate empty capsules in an erected state. The empty capsules AB accommodated in an erected state in the direction controlling pockets 21 enter as they are into the feeding pockets 31 with the cap A side directed forwardly and are accommodated into the feeding pockets 31 in an inverted state. Meanwhile, since also the empty capsules ABxe2x80x2 accommodated in a horizontally lying state in the upper portions 211 of the direction controlling pocket 21 are in a horizontally lying state wherein the cap A is directed forwardly in the direction of rotation, they enter the feeding pockets 31 with the cap A side directed forwardly so that they are accommodated into the feeding pockets 31 in an inverted state. In this manner, all empty capsules accommodated in the feeding pockets 31 are brought into an inverted state. Then, all of the empty capsules AB are transported by rotation of the feeding drum 3 and discharged from the feeding pockets 31 in an erected state wherein the cap is directed upwardly so that they are supplied to the capsule filling mechanism section which performs separation of empty capsules, filling of contents substance, re-coupling and so forth.
Here, since each empty capsule AB is composed of the cap A and the body B which are temporarily coupled to each other such that they are liable to be separated from each other and are sometimes separated from each other when empty capsules AB are supplied into the hopper h or moved in the hopper h. Thus, separate caps A and bodies B of empty capsules AB may possibly be present in the hopper h. If such a cap A or a body B as described above by itself is accommodated in a supply pocket 11 of the supplying drum 1, then when it is supplied to the capsule filling mechanism section past the direction controlling drum 2 and the feeding drum 3, this gives rise to various problems at various sections. Also there is the possibility that a cap A or a body B in the separate state may be mixed with filled capsule products as final products.
Further, when an empty capsule AB is transferred from a supply pocket 11 of the supplying drum 1 to a direction controlling pocket 21 of the direction controlling drum 2, even if it is kept in an erected state upon entering the direction controlling pocket 21 with the body B side directed forwardly, it sometimes occurs by some reason that the body B portion thereof does not enter the bottom portion 212 of the direction controlling pockets 21 but the empty capsule AB is accommodated into the upper portion 211 of the direction controlling pocket 21 in a reversely horizontally lying state wherein the body B is directed in the direction of rotation or the empty capsule AB is brought into a state wherein the cap A portion thereof projects from the circumferential face of the drum while the empty capsule AB is in an erected state with the cap A directed upwardly and therefore is horizontally laid down by the direction controlling guide member 22 into a reversely horizontally lying state wherein the body B is directed in the direction of rotation. If such a reversely horizontally lying capsule as described above is transferred to a feeding pocket 31 of the feeding drum 3 with the body B side directed forwardly, then this induces that an empty capsule in an erected state with the cap A directed upwardly is mixed in empty capsules held on the feeding drum 3 on which all empty capsules must be in an inverted state with the body B side directed upwardly. If the reversely horizontally lying capsule is supplied to the capsule filling section, then there is the possibility that contents substance may not be filled into the empty capsule and the capsule may be mixed in filled capsule produces as final products while it remains an empty capsule.
Conventionally, such a coupling defective capsule of the body B or the cap A itself or a reverse defective capsule as described above is handled by detecting it with various sensors during transportation by the drums 1, 2 and 3 and removing it by suitable means. However, since detection of a defective capsule by sensors and control for separating and removing the detected defective capsule from the other normal capsules are performed, not only very complicated operation by a complicated mechanism is required, but also there is a limitation to such detection and removal based on sensors and therefore a satisfactory detection and removal ratio cannot be obtained.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances as described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a defective capsule removing mechanism wherein a coupling defective capsule which is composed of a body B or a cap A itself alone or a reverse defective capsule can be discharged and removed with certainty by a comparatively simple mechanism.
In order to attain the object described above, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a defective capsule removing mechanism for removing, when a capsule composed of a cap and a body coupled to each other is accommodated and transported in a capsule pocket, if only the cap or the body of a coupling defective capsule whose cap and body are separated from each other is accommodated into the capsule pocket, characterized in that a defective capsule discharging window shorter in length than that of the capsule is provided in a portion of a circumferential wall of the capsule pocket adjacent one end of the capsule accommodated in the capsule pocket in a longitudinal direction of the capsule for sucking the inside of the capsule pocket therethrough, such that the cap or the body of the coupling defective capsule accommodated in the capsule pocket is drawn into the defective capsule discharging window in a rolling manner from one end side thereof directed forwardly so that the cap or the body of the coupling defective capsule is discharged to the outside of the capsule pocket through the defective capsule discharging window.
That is, the defective capsule removing mechanism according to the first aspect of the present invention described above, if the cap or the body of a coupling defective capsule whose cap and body are separated from each other is accommodated solely into the capsule pocket for accommodating and transporting a capsule, capsule pockets are sucked to remove the coupling defective capsule through the defective capsule discharging window. Consequently, the cap or the body of the coupling defective capsule is discharged from within the capsule pocket through the defective capsule discharging window. In this instance, the defective capsule discharging window is a window formed at one end portion of the capsule pocket having shorter in length than that of the capsule, so that the cap or the body alone having a comparatively small length is drawn into the defective capsule discharging window in a rolling manner from one end side directed forwardly and is then discharged to the outside of the capsule pocket through the defective capsule discharging window. However, since a normal capsule composed of a cap and a body coupled to each other has a length considerably greater than that of the cap or the body alone, it is caught in the capsule pocket and cannot roll out into the defective capsule discharging window, and consequently remains accommodated and held in the capsule pocket as it is.
Accordingly, with the defective capsule removing mechanism according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is no necessity to detect whether an empty capsule accommodated in the capsule pocket is a normal capsule or a coupling defective capsule which is composed of a cap or a body by itself, but by merely sucking the capsule pockets through the defective capsule discharging window, only the cap or the body of the coupling defective capsule is selectively discharged from the capsule pocket. Consequently, a coupling defective capsule can be discharged and removed simply and with certainty without requiring a complicated mechanism, complicated control and so forth.
Further, in order to attain the object described above, according to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a defective capsule removing mechanism for removing, when a capsule is accommodated and held in a horizontally lying state with a cap side thereof directed in a fixed direction in a capsule pocket formed on an outer circumferential face of a transport drum being capable of accommodating a capsule in a horizontally lying state and is transported by rotation of the drum and then the capsule is discharged from the capsule pocket at a predetermined angle of rotation to be transferred to a different transporting unit or the like, a reverse defective capsule accommodated in the capsule pocket in a reversely horizontally lying state with the cap side directed in the reverse direction is removed to prevent a reverse defective capsule directed in the opposite direction from being mixed in a group of capsules to be transferred to the different transporting unit or the like, characterized in that one end side of the capsule pocket in which a body side of a capsule is to be accommodated is formed as a cap holding portion which is wider than a diameter of the body of the capsule but narrower than a diameter of the cap of the capsule and a scraper insertion groove extending transversely over the capsule pocket is formed on the outer circumferential face of the transport drum along a circumferential direction of the drum, and a scraper having an end portion thereof inserted in the scraper insertion groove is disposed on the downstream side with respect to a hand-over point to the different transporting unit or the like in a direction of rotation of the drum such that, when a capsule in the reversely horizontally laid state with the cap directed in the reverse direction is accommodated into the capsule pocket, the capsule is brought into a state wherein the cap portion of the capsule is fitted into the cap holding portion of the cap pocket and cannot be pulled out readily so that the capsule is not discharged from the capsule packet at the hand-over point to the different transporting unit or the like, but is further transported to the downstream side in the direction of rotation of the drum, whereafter the capsule is scraped out from the capsule pocket by the scraper.
That is, the defective capsule removing mechanism discharges and removes, when a capsule is accommodated and held in a horizontally lying state with a cap side thereof directed in the fixed direction in the capsule pocket formed on the outer circumferential face of the transport drum and is transported and then discharged at the predetermined angle of rotation and transferred to the different transporting unit or the like, a reverse defective capsule accommodated in the capsule pocket in a reversely horizontally lying state with the cap side directed in the opposite direction from the capsule pocket and recovers the reverse defective capsule. Since the one end side of the capsule pocket in which the body side of a capsule is to be accommodated is formed as the cap holding portion which is narrower than the cap of the capsule, the reverse defective capsule in the reversely horizontally lying state with the cap directed in the opposite direction is put into a state wherein the cap portion thereof is confined to the cap holding portion and cannot be drawn out readily from the capsule pocket. Thus, the reverse defective capsule is not transferred to the different transporting unit at the predetermined angle of rotation, but keeps on going for further transportation. Then, the reverse defective capsule is compulsorily scraped out from the capsule pocket by the scraper on the downstream side in the direction of rotation of the transport drum and is recovered.
Accordingly, with the defective capsule removing mechanism according to the second aspect of the present invention, a reverse defective capsule is automatically disabled from being transferred to the different transporting unit or the like without the necessity to perform any operation and without the necessity for a complicated mechanism for detecting whether a capsule accommodated in the capsule pocket is a capsule in a normal horizontally lying state directed in the predetermined direction or a reverse defective capsule in a horizontally lying state directed in the opposite direction or for selectively discharging and removing a detected reverse defective capsule, and in this state, the reverse defective capsule passes by the hand-over point to the transporting unit or the like and is then compulsorily removed from the capsule pocket automatically by the scraper at the predetermined location on the downstream side with respect to the hand-over point to the transporting unit or the like in the transportation direction to which a normal capsule is not transported at all. Consequently, a reverse defective capsule can be discharged and removed simply and with certainty without the necessity for a complicated structure, cumbersome control and so forth.